CIT2015TheCaseITServiceManagement.pptx

Editor's Notes

• #4: As you know, ITIL is a framework of best practices for providing many different processes – the processes intersect and integrate to provide IT Service Management as a whole There are two components to IT Service Management – the agreed-upon process for providing IT services, and the ITSM tool in which that process is operationalized Conventional wisdom there is to establish your process first and then make the tool fit the process – we are doing that with the ITSM project for the most part, but it becomes difficult to truly regard them as separate things The many, many choices we are making as we configure the ITSM tool are based in our process, and occasionally our process must be altered to fit what the tool can do So you’ll hear me talking a lot about the tool here, but please keep in mind that the configuration work we are currently doing is just as much about process as it is tool
• #5: So, how did we come to IT Service Management as a practice? We decided that we have a lot to gain from a common ITSM process and common tool – a common repository for IT history and knowledge, and the opportunity to track things like changes, configuration items, and problems, that we do not currently Although we have a decentralized IT support structure here, and there are things unique to each area, we are much more alike than different We can be sharing knowledge, saving each other time, finding solutions to common problems The process so far to develop that common process together and figure out how to configure Cherwell to track it has been great, a very positive experience to see everyone work together toward this shared system
• #6: Next step: implementing a common ITSM process and tool You may have noticed that it can take some time to procure an enterprise technology tool, so the first focus was on developing and completing an RFP for an enterprise ITSM tool An important part of the process of developing that RFP was meeting with all IT support groups to talk ITSM process, assess the current state, and gather each team’s requirements for the tool Campus-wide involvement throughout the entire process – from those meetings to membership on the RFP team and eventually on the ITSM Advisory Group So, as we continued the campus-wide discussion on common process we completed the tool RFP and are moving forward with Cherwell and Avante The first phase goes live this summer
• #7: So we’re committed to doing this now. What do we get out of it? Why should you care? ITSM enables us to meet the needs of our customers and enables our customers to take initiative A tool is no substitute for a well-considered process, but it can reinforce our process through configuration choices We do this today through our use of the current tools, but really only for Incident Management and Request Fulfillment With this new process and tool implementation we are managing 9 integrated ITIL processes, most of which are things we’ve never tracked in a formal way: Incident, Problem, Change, Release, Request Fulfillment, Knowledge, Service Asset & Configuration Management, Service Catalog Management, and Service Level Management
• #8: Benefits of a suite Integrated processes enabled by the tool – easy to link related items or progress through the service lifecycle starting with a single issue Example: multiple incidents come into the TSC for email, a workaround is implemented and the incidents closed; but the root cause is still there in the email system, so a problem record is created, which leads to a request for change, which results in an associated release record – all linked together so that you can easily follow the chain of events from the first incident reported to the release of a fix, CI s updated at every step and documentation produced as part of the process Common framework and familiar interface across all processes and records Demo incident form, look at framework
• #9: At the most basic level, an ITSM process and tool should ensure tracking of IT work Complete History – notes from technical teams, communications to and from the customer, knowledge used, actions taken, resolution, related CIs, similar incidents, problems, changes – all linked together and visible in one pane of glass if it recurs, you have everything you need to resume working the incident – no need to ask others to recall details or worse, have to ask the customer for the history this is a process that doesn’t rely on the individual – all members of an IT team (and the user) can contribute to the history of an incident or request. So even when staff are out, work can continue with staff available because the information is there and they can pick up from where the last person left off. Customers can do some of the work here also – they will be able to utilize the self-service portal to track progress on their tickets, eliminating the need for them to ask you what the status is. They will be given target dates for resolution of their issue or fulfillment of their service request based on priority, helping to set their expectation for a reasonable time frame for completion.
• #10: Priorities guide the order in which we approach the work, ensure it is consistent and aligns with University goals Use priorities and target dates to prioritize the work and determine where to focus attention first – what will have the most impact? This is the Priority Matrix that determines the order in which we will work incidents in the new tool. It considers several factors to ensure we focus first on resolving the incidents that will provide the most value: how many people are affected how long before there will be a significant impact on the organization – usually this has to do with which service is affected, but also when the issue has occurred, and how long it will take to resolve You’ll be notified of Priority 1 incidents in the tool, and have the ability to add any of your user reports to the major incident record for the issue – when the issue is resolved, all of those incidents will be resolved at once and users notified at once. No need for each team to spend time notifying their users of a resolution that is the same for everyone.
• #11: An ITSM process and tool enables tailored support offerings, saving both IT and the customer time Only the service requests relevant to your customers (based on role and what their direct support team provides) will be displayed to them in the self-service portal. Simple forms, easy to find, in English, encouraging the use of self-service and the gathering of information you will need to resolve their issue or fulfill their request. Having the complete history in one place saves time spent now to search disparate systems, or reinventing work or knowledge that wasn’t documented and left with the staff who had it Customers can be encouraged to seek the status of their own issues through the self-service portal instead of calling their IT team Complicated human-based processes can be handled more efficiently through careful automations in the tool. Onboarding a new staff member currently involves many steps, many people and multiple IT teams probably no record of what progress has been made – which steps are complete and which are not probably no record of what access has been given (so that it can easily be reversed at offboarding) no way for a members of a team to see what remains to be done, or assign work to another team no convenient way to notify the supervisor or new staff member of status Demo basic onboarding in Cherwell – New incident, classify Add tasks, journal, CI
• #12: The CMDB is the heart of the ITSM system – hugely complicated, but also hugely beneficial CIs aren’t just servers and monitors – they are literally all of the components that make up our complex systems, as well as the relationships between them Technical CI types – hardware of all types, network gear, storage arrays, databases, applications, peripherals, software licenses Knowledge CI types – configurations, SLAs, contracts, vendor information, system documentation, knowledge base articles Business CI types – people, teams, services When we’ve fully populated our CMDB, we will be able to: Track an asset from idea (I need a thing) to pre-purchase to purchase to active use to removal from inventory – along with all of the incidents, service requests, problems and changes linked to it along the way Track dependencies between parts of a service – the web servers, application servers, databases, authentication, load balancers, applications, etc. that make up a single service. We can use visualizations in the CMDB to show the relationships between them and help pinpoint upstream and downstream dependencies to both troubleshoot and predict the impact of a change. Track software license usage More accurately pinpoint current status of assets to assist with annual inventory Document changes and attach all relevant knowledge directly to any CI at the system so that information is available at our fingertips when time is of the essence – we waste valuable time now trying to find information when an issue is occurring
• #13: One of the biggest benefit of a shared ITSM system is the ability to search, share, and display relevant knowledge Customer-focused knowledge will be available through the self-service portal and easily searched to help customers find answers (including the knowledge currently available through the TSC site). This type of knowledge will continue to be augmented and developed by AT Client Services. Technical documentation scattered now, in the tool they will be easily accessible and tied to the CIs they concern We all benefit when we have relevant knowledge available to the customer, and technical knowledge available to help us more accurately and quickly troubleshoot issues, as well as the capability to share our knowledge with each other and NOT reinvent the wheel
• #14: We want to do everything we can in this new system to encourage everyone to contribute to our shared knowledge Very easy to create a new piece of knowledge – and you determine who gets to see it, IT staff or visible to customers through the self-service portal Much of our knowledge will be visible only to IT staff and used for technical troubleshooting and documentation – any IT staff member may create knowledge and it will be shared with other IT staff. You’ll be able to vote on useful articles to promote them in searches. Using knowledge is also easy, and the system will suggest relevant knowledge in the context of what you’re doing Demo – searching for knowledge in incident, printing problem
• #15: Our customers measure our service by the experience they have with their consumer devices and services Our customers expect to be able to track the progress of their issues online, just like they can track the status of their Amazon order or how soon their pizza will be done at Domino’s They don’t understand our IT structure and shouldn’t need to – it’s our job to work together to provide them a set of IT services, and we should be managing in the background the seamless transfer from one team to another to complete the work Tool enables easy, consistent and regular communications to users Cherwell available in all browsers, and on mobile clients
• #16: The self-service portal is designed with the user in mind, to get them to what they need as quickly as possible Show them requests and information relevant to them so they spend less time searching and more time getting back to their work – this also benefits IT in that it encourages users to use self-service and not default to asking IT directly Transparency – display target date to user and give them the ability to check on progress themselves, eliminating the “how’s it coming?” contacts
• #17: Reporting an incident requires only that the customer knows what device they are using when having an issue They don’t have to understand whether it’s their browser, or their application, or the network causing a problem, they just have to pick the device they are using and give us their symptoms
• #18: Service requests are broken up into categories, and the request forms displayed for each customer are based on their role and the offerings of their direct support team – only the relevant information displayed
• #19: Better data allows better prediction of - and prevention of – issues. We move from mostly reactive to more proactive by tracking trends and then getting ahead of them This is an advantage technology tools give us and one that we have barely taken advantage of historically Use reporting and metrics to identify strengths and weaknesses in your current support offerings Examples – maybe your team is providing great 1st level support (FCR is 80%), but you are consistently not hitting target dates for work requiring backend work because you don’t have enough staff doing that work. Use the data to make the case for more backend staff or cross-train front-line staff to improve overall performance. Track support trends Example – your report on incidents by service shows that 30% of the calls your team receives are about how to access something in Sharepoint - provide training, more specific and visible self-service options, more knowledge base articles – then track over time to see how it changes Simple things can matter and save time, and they are things you might not see without the data Example – your team’s standard image doesn’t include a piece of site-licensed software used in your area, and your users may request it on an ad hoc basis. Over time, over 50% of your users have requested that the software be installed, but you haven’t noticed it because it’s been separate requests being handled by many members of the team. Include that software in your basic image and eliminate the extra work for you and your customers. All records and work in the system tied to a service and category, allowing for reporting on specific types of work, for specific services – which in turn allows you to determine where demand exists and how best to direct limited resources
• #20: Dashboards aren’t just for customers – IT will use them to manage up-to-the-minute trends for all of their work activity – incidents, service requests, tasks, changes, upcoming SLA breaches, how my team is doing, articles to review, you name it All configurable, of course
• #21: Now more than ever it is crucial that IT align with University goals One of the foundational principles behind the ITIL framework is to align IT with “the business” Often a disconnect between what IT thinks the University wants, and what they truly do want and need The adoption of ITSM principles campus-wide is implicit in Educating Illinois and explicit in the IT Strategic Plan In an time of budget crisis, it is more important than ever to be able to easily share resources and knowledge, facilitate efficient tracking of work, and measure performance
• #22: But wait, doesn’t all of this require extra effort? I don’t have time! 0124.Yes, of course it does. But you invest time in the right things to save time, and you focus on what will bring the most value to your users. I would argue that we are already doing many of these things because our customers expect that level of service and we expect it of ourselves. We are doing it in our heads, by the seat of our pants, and in multiple tools if we use tools at all. We can do better than that, and the things that we aren’t doing now, that the ITSM will make possible, will truly add value. Examples – the time you spend documenting and recording changes will pay off when the changed service has a major incident down the road, and you don’t have to waste time recreating the history before you can even start troubleshooting; or when you’re able to successfully argue for more staff because you can prove with data exactly how busy you are or when the Dean’s laptop with that intermittent issue has the issue again , and you don’t have to find the person who worked on it last time to see how to fix it; Or when you find that stubborn piece of unfound inventory because you have a record of it tied to an incident for one of your users and it gave you the clue you needed; And when your users have become more self-sufficient because you’ve provided them with the self-service options they want;
• #23: Phases 1 & 2 are underway now You should be able to login to the system in July to help test Phase 3 requirements gathering will begin just before or as Phase 2 goes live, and then Phase 4 Continuous improvement – implementing needed changes as we actually use the product, and continuing to enhance and mature how the process and tool interact